Elkie Brooks: 'If I had all the royalties I'm due, I'd be a wealthy woman'

ELKIE Brooks was one of the most popular singers of the 70s and 80s with hits such as Pearl’s A Singer and No More The Fool. Here she opens up about her career, recording her 22nd album and selling her home because of tax problems…

I spent most of the 1960s on Britain’s cabaret scene, even supporting The Beatles at the height of their fame

Elkie Brooks

Now 68, she continues to tour and record. Lancashire-born Elkie lives in Devon with her second husband, Trevor Jordan, and their sons Jay, 34, and Joey, 28.

“I was born Elaine Bookbinder in Salford and raised in Prestwich. My father Charlie was a baker and confectioner with five shops. From when I was a little girl, I sang at bar mitzvahs and weddings. I’ve always had a naturally low singing voice and my headmistress said I sounded like a boy.

“I was 13 when I did my first professional show in Manchester. Don Arden [music manager and father of Sharon Osbourne] thought Bookbinder was too long and Jewish sounding, so he named me Elaine Mansfield, which I hated, so after a few years I called myself Elkie which is Yiddish for Elaine, and shortened my surname to Brooks.

“I spent most of the 1960s on Britain’s cabaret scene, even supporting The Beatles at the height of their fame, but that decade was not the nicest time for me. I found my musical direction in the 1970s. I formed the band Vinegar Joe with my first husband, Pete Gage, and Robert Palmer, who often encouraged me to write songs. I loved being in Vinegar Joe but we split in 1974 and Robert and I pursued solo careers.

She was one of the most popular singers of the 70s and 80s [GETTY]

“For my first solo album in 1975, Rich Man’s Woman, I posed for a controversial cover picture (Elkie was naked but for a feather boa) but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

“I never thought I’d have records in the charts, but my career took off in 1977 when I made the album Two Days Away, which contained the hit single Pearl’s A Singer. To think that I’m about to make my 22nd studio album… I still enjoy performing my old hits live.

“In 2003, I took part in the ITV reality show Reborn In The USA in which British acts from the 70s and 80s tried to relaunch their careers in America. I thought it’d be far better than it was, but it did introduce me to youngsters who’ve since formed part of my ‘Elkaholic’ audience.

“I met my husband Trevor when he was sound engineer for Diana Ross, and he’s done my sound ever since. We’ve been together 37 years; our eldest son Jay now manages and produces me and Joey is a ski and paragliding instructor.

“For a long time now we’ve lived in north Devon, but we had to sell our home of 22 years after suffering tax problems. Having rented since then, we are hoping to build a new house of our own. If I had all the royalties I’m due from the record companies I’ve recorded with over the years, I’d probably be a very wealthy woman. I’ve tried to pursue them, but you get so far and it’s so expensive that you just throw your arms up in the air.

“I’m fortunate enough that in the last 20-odd years we’ve managed to get a lot of my albums back, because my husband did a sort of deal with the record companies that they could only have the album for so long.

“The important thing is I’ve got my health and a great family around me. I do aikido [a Japanese martial art] every day. I can’t see myself retiring for quite a few years; I’ve still got lots to do and I’m singing well. When I lose my fitness level and start warbling that’ll be the time to hang up my microphone. I have so many interests other than music that I’ll simply carry on doing them instead.”

Elkie’s autobiography Finding My Voice is published by Biteback. For her concert dates, visit www.elkiebrooks.net.